Imagine a world where you make a loan on Kiva, our Field Partners distribute that loan to the most vulnerable communities, and then take the next step to address other holistic needs of the community, like health and access to financial education.

Luckily we don’t have to imagine it. Because when you support someone on Kiva, you’re offering more than financial capital. You’re offering vital services that create lasting change in the lives of the borrower and, not only help alleviate poverty, but help them to stay out of it.

These innovative non-financial services that our Field Partners offer are known as wraparound services. Wraparound services range from medical care to educational courses to job training classes, community support and financial advice.

Education helps the borrower make informed decisions regarding their loan.

Kiva awards Field Partners that offer these services with Social Performance Badges which range from an Anti-Poverty Focus (targeting the poorest communities) to Family and Community Empowerment (bolstering the entire family through education initiatives, workshops and preventive health).

Armed with not only the money they need, but now an education background, self confidence and financial literacy, the borrower can invest the money into their business in a responsible manner. These vital services are only possible because of Kiva lenders like you.

A wide variety of Kiva Field Partners provide these services. Peoples Forum in India works with people from marginalized groups such as leprosy patients, the disabled and the hijras community. People’s Forum helps determine who in the family is best suited to handle a loan and also assists borrowers in obtaining a certification of disability which allows them access to vital government services.

People's Forum in India focuses on vulnerable communities.

Association for People in Community Action (PAC) based in Nicaragua, believes that a combination of agricultural and technological development can help lift people out of extreme poverty. In addition to linking farmers to markets, PAC also offers a range of development services including youth leadership training, technical assistance and training.

But the path to success isn’t just paved by good training and solid financial planning. Preparing for stumbling blocks is vital, which is why ID Ghana helps their poorest clients participate in the national health insurance plan by building health care payments into their loans. This partner knows healthy people are fundamental for healthy businesses and also offers their clients group discussions on health and nutrition, as well as basic medical services.

These are just a few examples of the many Field Partners that Kiva works with, whose additional services go above and beyond simply providing access to capital. The pillars of support they offer ensure that loans funded through Kiva can have a lasting impact.

Comments

Hello Tess
I joined Kiva today am inspired by your writing and your work. I travelled to the Mid-east years ago and discoverer how fortunate Americans were to be living here in this country. Now I'm an exhausted social worker Napa and am happy to have a new way to nuture my sole.

Hi I just want to say I love Kiva and I am thankful that I can be a part of it, even in a small way. People in the USA. Need to step up and reach out to those who only ask for a hand up not a hand out. God bless, Michael.

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After graduating from Fordham University with a B.A. in Political Science and French, Tess decided to book a one-way flight to Asia, volunteering as she traveled. She found that the best way to close the gap between what she saw and the people back home was the share these experiences through writing blogs. Tess saw how local businesses can help improve the lives of the community while preserving their cultural traditions. She described how Cambodian farmers, Vietnamese teachers and Malaysian artists all have similar ambitions to their American counterparts. People everywhere want to succeed and technology helps connect these ambitions. After finishing her travels, Tess joined the Marketing Team at Kiva as an intern, where she focused on the inspiring stories behind each borrower. Behind the amount of the loan is an enriching story about that entrepreneur’s life. By shedding light on these stories to lenders, Tess saw how relatable stories can help drive enterprise. After completing her forthcoming fellowship in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Tess hopes to continue a development and content driven career in social enterprise.

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Kiva's Comment Policy

To encourage conversation and build community on Kiva's blogs, we've made commenting accessible and viewable by anyone visiting Kiva. Given this high visibility, we ask that you abide by the following guidelines when posting a comment:

Comments should be relevant to the content of specific blog posts and are not to be used for self-promotion or to advertise or solicit.

Please refrain from using profanity or language that may be seen as degrading or disrespectful.

Commenters are expected to accurately and honestly represent themselves. False identities will not be tolerated.

Kiva reserves the right to remove comments in violation of this policy. See Kiva's Terms of Use Agreement for more information on user-generated content.

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About Kiva

Kiva connects millions of people through lending to alleviate poverty. Read about our partners, programs and loans here. Or check out stories straight from the field on the Kiva Fellows Blog. Have questions? Send them our way at blog@kiva.org.